What To Do When People Commit To Giving But Don't

Getting friends, family, and co-workers to follow through on their pledge can be tricky! That’s why we’ve compiled four things to do to increase follow through.

1. Be Positive. We know it can be discouraging when people commit to give but don’t. Though it’s tempting to be frustrated with them, remember to keep your tone positive. Thank them in advance for their generosity and remind them of the great cause they’re giving to.

2. Use Resources to Their Fullest Potential. Our resources are made to help you succeed. The Donor Tracking Sheet and the Fundraising Tip Sheet in particular are simple tools that lead to success. Make sure to print off the Donor Tracking Sheet to keep a record of who you’ve asked and how many times you’ve asked them. Donors who used the tracking sheet saw a 40%-60% increase in donations to their page!

3. Be Personal. A common fundraising mistake is to rely heavily on social media right out of the gate. We recommend personal emails, letters, texts, and phone calls to kick off your campaign while using social media updates on your progress to supplement your efforts.

4. Be Persistent. Most people who have committed to give towards your goal but haven’t yet are probably just busy! It usually takes two or three gentle reminders to a person before they actually give. Your Donor Tracking Sheet and keeping a positive tone in your ask can help you navigate your follow up.

Is there someone you’ve asked multiple times in a few different ways over the last few weeks and they haven’t responded to you at all? You can let these folks off the hook. They might have something going on in their lives that prevents them from donating right now, and you don’t want to burn any bridges by guilt-tripping or annoying them.

Still Need Help?

We've only seen it happen a few times, but sometimes a fundraiser does everything right and still makes no progress. If almost no one is giving to your campaign and you have tried everything on our Fundraising Support list, contact us for additional help.